A Jewish bakery in Sydney has been forced to close in the wake of the Bondi Beach antisemitic terror attack after a notice posted on its window said it cannot ensure the safety of staff and customers.
At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured after two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on the beach on Sunday.
Avner’s, a bagel shop run by celebrity chef Ed Halmagyi, said it was no longer possible to make “outwardly, publicly, proudly Jewish places and events safe in Australia”.
The bakery said that they had endured “almost ceaseless antisemitic harassment, vandalism and intimidation” over the last two years but were now “unable to ensure the safety of our staff, our customers [and] our families”.
“We have made the only decision available, one that truly breaks our hearts. Avner’s is closed,” it added.
Avner’s was closed earlier this week “to process what’s happened” and “make sense of the mindless violence”, the notice said, as the nation reeled from its deadliest shooting in three decades.
Members of Sydney’s Jewish community have since told how they are planning to leave Australia for Israel in the wake of the attack.
Twenty-seven year-old mother Chavi, who was at the event with her seven-month-old son, told the Sydney Morning Herald: “I love Australia, I was born here, and I know [Israel] is in the Middle East … but we were just sitting ducks here.”
She recalled how she had “got down and used my body as a human shield to protect my baby” as the attack unfolded over around 15 minutes on Sunday. The experience left her wondering whether to leave her life in Australia behind.
“It’s a different way of life in Israel for sure, but I also feel I can’t abandon the Jewish people here,” she told the outlet.
Australian police have said the attack, carried out by a father and son, appeared to be inspired by Islamic State, based on preliminary evidence.
Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene, while his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram emerged from a coma on Tuesday afternoon after also being shot by police.
The leader of the Australian state of New South Wales said on Wednesday he will recall parliament next week to pass wide-ranging reforms of gun and protest laws amid concern for the safety of Jewish people in the country.
The state government will also look at reforms making it harder to hold large street protests after terror events, in order to prevent further tensions.
Security was heightened in Bondi Beach on Wednesday as hundreds of mourners gathered to remember the victims of the attack.
There was a heavy presence of police and a contingent of private security guards and Jewish security services on hand at a Bondi synagogue for the funeral of British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
A funeral for Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, 39, was held at Macquarie Park in Sydney's north-west later in the day.
The funeral of Matilda, a 10-year-old girl who died in the shooting, will be held on Thursday, according to an online funeral notice.
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